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Jasper was still sketching the girl from his dreams when his cell phone vibrated on the desk in front of him. He flipped it open.

"What," he said in greeting, keeping his voice entirely uninviting.

"It's me." The warm voice on the other end was Neila. He relaxed back in his chair. "She entered a diner. Looks like she's a dishwasher. I think you'd better come down here and make the transition easier. She's not going anywhere for a while so there's no need for us to act rashly."

"Yeah, I hear you," he drawled. "On my way." He hung up and closed his study, bringing the key with him. He called to have a car waiting, one of the less conspicuous ones. He would scare her away with too much money. As he got in the backseat, his breath hitched and he worked to calm himself. He was so close, there was no time to lose it.

The car dropped him off and Neila met him in the front. He told the driver to park and wait for him, no matter how long. He told Neila to cover the back in case his plan didn't work. With a nod and a swing of her long hair, she walked away. He slouched into the diner, wishing he'd worn clothes a little less...rich. It was a cozy diner and he was obviously out of place among the old-timers and down-on-their-luck-ers. He scowled at all of them and sat in the farthest booth from the kitchen. When the waitress came with her sunny smile, he asked her how long the dishwashers normally worked.

"Well, there's one in there now and I think the shift runs until three. Is there a reason you asked?" She clearly wasn't the brightest bulb. He smiled at her and said he'd just take some coffee for now and to tell the dishwasher there was someone waiting for her out here at the end of her shift with a free meal. He settled in to wait.